Choices and where they lead
by Zenth Chrono
Summary: set after the failed wedding for anything else you'll have to read yourself to find out. Enjoy :


(A.N. The only character that is mine is Boaraga )

Chapter 1

Sitting by firelight we find a young man short for his age with long dark black hair pulled back and tied in a haphazard messy pigtail. Staring into the flame with his crystal blue eyes his body tense and at full alert, but still he was not aware of the figure dressed in a long dark grey cloak with the hood up shadowing the face approaching like a ghost in the distance.

"May I join you and warm my self awhile at your fire" Came a Deep Rumbling voice from behind causing him to jump in surprise.

"Ahhhh, who are you and what do you want!" as he settled in to a low martial arts stance.

"I want to warm my self at your fire, as to my name you may call me Boaraga" the cloaked figure replied with a hint of amusement in his voice. Which caused the young man to relax when he realised the stranger was not out to cause him harm.

"So, can I join you?" he asked again his voice now thick with amusement at which the boy stammered his answer.

Sitting together in combatable silence Boaraga asked another question" You asked me my name but did not give yours. So I guess I must ask you may I have the name of my company".

"What? Oh sorry it's Ranma" he answered flustered once again and trying to figure out why this cloaked my had such strange affect on him it felt like a mix of the feelings he got when in the presence of a cat and or one of his numerous fiancés.

"Well it's nice to meet you Ranma" Boaraga rumbled back.

"So tell me Ranma why are you camped out here so far from every thing alone? I would have though a young man as your self would be hanging out with his friends or chasing girl, not out here in the middle of nowhere" he asked with genuine curiosity.

Snorting "I aint got no friends, and girls have brought me nothing but trouble" he stated. "as for why I'm out yuh I'm a martial artist I came here for some peace and quiet to train and think of some way to fix my messed up life".

Now Boaraga was interested seeing as he did not head this way because he saw the light of the fire in the dark and wanted to warm himself. He came be cause of the magic he could séance coming from the boy and wanted to find out what it was.

So he asked "dose part of your trouble stem from the magic I can séance hanging from you".

His confirmation came before Ranma's verbal answer from the fact the boy teased up slightly.

"How! What! What do you Know, if that fat panda idiot promised you any thing go take it up with him 'cause I wont take any more shit for him!" he yelled as he jumped back in to a defensive stance.

"Well I don't know who the panda idiot is or what you're talking about. But as to the how I can séance magic, as to what I know I only know your name, you have some magic about you and you say you have no friends" his voice calm and rumbling but now very curious as to what got that reaction.

"Now Ranma I promise you I mean no harm so would you please sit and calm your self. Then once your calm you can tell me about your life and we'll see if I can help you with your problems" speaking with low Soothing voice.

For some reason Ranma relaxed sat down and started to tell to this complete stranger, his life story and for some other unknown reason he didn't leave anything out, as he normally would have and some things he'd even forgotten him self till now. From being taken from his mother at an early age and his curse, the multiple fiancés up to Saffron and the failed wedding. An for the first time in a long time he broke down and cried the stress of the past three years finally catching up with him. When he finally finished he curled up on the ground and fell into a soft dreamless sleep.

Boaraga got up and care fully lifted the young man in to his arms and carried him over and place him in his bed role before jumping up to a nearby tree branch to go to sleep him self.

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The next morning the Ranma woke to the most wonderful smell and looked over to see the same, cloaked figure he'd come to know as Boaraga sitting over a large pot steering the contents. Taking the opportunity to look at his new acquaintance in more detail and notice what he did not in the dark, even now he couldn't tell much other than he is a very large man heavily muscled. So much so Ranma thought that he made Mint and Ryouga look like children in comparison but until he got up Ranma would not be able to tell how tall he stood, but now he could see the cloak he wore had small design that skirted round the edge of the cloak that looked like some vine or plant.

"Foods ready if your hungry" Boaraga's rumbling voice broke him form his examination.

"I hope you don't mind stew but you've slept awhile and it is gone lunch" he continued.

"What I've never slept past breakfast" Ranma jumped up in surprise and confused as to why he would sleep so long even with out the panda, the tomboy or the rivals not here to interrupt his sleep he shouldn't have been out that long.

"I think after last nights revision of your life and the emotional release you experienced, it was well deserved rest and your body, mind and spirit needed it" was the reply he got from his companion.

And with that sentence memories of last night came back to him and he felt ashamed of his beak down, thinking over and over how unmanly his mother would think him. How men didn't cry, how much of a weak girl he must be and all the rest of the crap that had been beaten into him growing up. Boaraga seeing this and knowing the sort of programming his parents had beaten in to him decided to intervene.

"Your not weak Ranma no matter the man, no matter how strong anyone would have broken after all the crap you have been put through and I know that in order make some things stronger you must sometimes break them down and rebuild" His words breaking through Ranmas self pity.

"Come sit down have something to eat and then we'll talk options and see if I can heal some of the damage that idiot father of yous has caused to you" he said offering him a bowl stew. Which Ranma accepted and started eating more reserved pace still slightly down though his eyes lit up at the taste of good food.

"This is really good" he said in a soft tone, not getting that a man this big and from the sound of him was probably living embodiment of what he though his mother though manly could do something so girly as cook and do it so well.

"Thank you I've always enjoyed my food and since I travel a lot I have become quite appt at cooking some things" Boaraga replied the hit of amusement that was there last night.

"I think the first thing we should do is cure the stigma your parents have forced on you in the guise of manliness and false honour" He said.

"Huh? And what do you mean false honour!" Ranma replied angry that someone he had just met would insult his honour and his manliness even if he didn't know what the rest of what the man said meant.

"Relax Ranma I'm not calling you honourless, I'm just saying your view has been twisted into something not even you understand. You've based your honour on any thing that is seen to be doing the opposite of the panda idiot. Not that that's a bad idea, its not that good an idea ether that's something we'll have to fix when you're ready together we'll redefine your honour into something less confusing and with a stronger base on truth. Manliness is a very touchy subject for you because it is something that has been beaten in to so badly that it has stopped you from finding out who you really are and what you want to be. What's worse it's been beaten into you by someone who has no idea what it is to be a real man. By someone who is nothing more than a greedy honourless coward, don't even open your mouth and try and disagree with me we both now it's true" he replied calmly until the end when he told Ranma what he really thought of his father.

"Now if you don't mind my friend, I would like to use my séancing technique to see how much damage those idiots have done to you over the years and see if there is a way to reverse the affects, that is if you want of course it is after all yours choice" Boaraga finished and waited for the young man to answer.

Through out all this Ranma listened and found he really couldn't disagree with any of what his companion was saying even what he said about his father was true. When Boaraga called him his friend the happiness coming of him was almost giving him a glow. At the mention of a technique his eyes light up like raging fires at the thought of learning something new as things had long grown dull as none of his rivals his father even the pervert and ghoul had nothing for him or didn't want to show him so they had something to use against him later. The fact that it may help him know when there was something wrong with him or others made him even more excited.

"Sure! Séance away I bet I'll have the whole thing down before your finish" He said with his usual bravado. This caused Boaraga to smile as he new even if he tried it would take Ranma at least a day to learn how to do the low grade scan never mind the high grade scan he was about to perform.

"Ok then Ranma for this to work its best for a person to lie down and relax as much as they can" as soon as Ranma was on his back Boaraga knelt next to him and put one of his massive hands on his stomach.

"I'm going to do an in-depth scan so this could take up to fifteen minutes and you may feel a little sleepy so don't worry" and with that said his hand started to glow, Ranma felt his séances tingle his body warm and his eyes grow heavy as he drifted to sleep.

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Letting lose a yawn and having a long cat like stretch "I think I've slept more in the past two days than I would in a normal week" mumbling to him self.

"Ah your awake we have a lot to discuss" Said Boaraga his voice the grimmest he'd heard since he'd met him and that worried him a bit.

"But your hungry and I've just finished reheating the stew so first we eat then we talk I always find talking on a full stomach easier that any other time and we have much to talk about" so without saying any more Boaraga sat down on a fallen log close to where Ranma sat and handed him a bowl.

"So what did you find" Ranma asked a little worried as he handed his now empty bowl to his newfound friend.

"With you my friend you could ask what didn't I find" he said in a grim tone "I honestly don't know where to start, I think it would probably be best to go in order of physical, mental, spiritual and then magical" Ranma looked taken aback to that but let him continue.

"Ok, physical first, your body because of poor diet growing up has lowered your immune system, has stunted your growth, causing your body to be less developed and your bones to be more brittle than they should be. Which explains why your are so short in both forms, infact It's only the Chi training you underwent as a child along with the neko-ken training that made sure you have not suffered major injury or illness" Finished Boaraga angrily, if he didn't hate Genma before he did now and this was only the tip of what he had to tell Ranma. Taking a moment to calm him self before continuing.

"There are also a number of pressure points active to keep you weaker than you really are and more than that affect you mentally. So I think I should tell you about the mental problems I found, some of which you probably not aware of. Other than the small amount of brain damage cause by a lot of the stupid training methods and blows to the head form a supposed friend/fiancé. You are also under the affects of a few more pressure point designed to focus you, keep you docile and inhibit your intelligence, keep it low so wont be asking questions and learning anything the person who applied them didn't wanted you to know" taking another calming breath before moving on.

"Spiritually your Chi is seriously compromised by the way you taught your self how to focus it through your emotions. I know it is easier to do but by doing that you have caused a serious emotional imbalance and I find it amazing you have yet to kill your self through the arrogance that focusing through confidence can cause. To focus Chi you must use your will not any emotion but pure strength of will it's harder to do at first, yes but it's a lot healthier and a lot more stable but we can go over that if you decide you want me to train you properly later". At the mention of training the look of horror that had come over his face from what he had learned so far eased a little with hope.

"And last and most worrying is the magic about you that I first brushed off as the pools of sorrows affect on you, but while I was digging I found there are quite a few low level spells a couple compulsion spells and three major curses. Most of the compulsion spells are for you to agree with the panda or truth spells so you cant lie, a lot of which you seem to break on a regular basis because of how strong willed you are. There are number of trace spells so they can track you, one looks like those amazons doing because its very old spell. One I'd say was your father because it's not that well done and one is definitely that pervert because for the amount of lust chi that was used to make it. The others are the shape changing curse and water attraction curse, which are linked and unstable by the way that's the reason no one can find a cure. The last is a chaotic life curse which its mostly known as the 'may you live in interesting times' curse that's one of the reasons your life has been so hectic" he finished sighed and turned his hood in Ranma's direction to see the shock and horror on face.

"Relax Ranma I can help but you will have to trust me," Boarga said with a soothing voice.

Ranma was looking lost and scared but had calmed some at Boarga's reassurance.

"Will you trust me?" he asked

"I'll trust you if you let me see your face" Ranma answered still uneasy but still curious enough as to why his new friend wore a cloak that hind most of his features.

Chuckling a little as he reached for his hood and stopped as if remembering he spoke.

"I'm not human Ranma and as such I tend to scare humans because of my appearance some think I am an abomination, and with the fear you have you will find me more frightening then most. So before I remove my hood I shall start suppressing your fear of cats" as he said that Ranma felt himself go from panic at the word cat to calm in an instant as his friend lowered his hood.

What amazed Ranma now that he could see his new friend's face was not the fact that he looked like a cross between a man and a cat. Nor the fact blue and white fur and long blue and white striped hair it was the kind soulful sliver eyes that caught Ranma's attention. Form the things Ranma could remember girls commenting on he would say that the cat man would be considered handsome by most that had an open mind or where just down right kinky.

Ranma looked back in to his strange new friend's eyes and saw nothing but sincerity and determination with a kindness he was not used to seeing directed at him and said, "What do I have to do?"

With that said Boaraga reached into the left side of his cloak and pulled out four vials with a strange looking liquid in them. "First I need to remove that chaos, compulsion, truth and tracing Spells and before you ask why I am not removing the other two, we'll talk about that later once we've deal with more serious problems first" he said as he handed the vials to Ranma. "I need you to hold those while I work on removing the spells it will take me a little time to remove them form you then I'll tell you what they are for and what order you need to take them, now hold still while I work on you. Oh and this might feel a little strange" with that said a silvery aura came life and surrounded both of them Boaraga placed hands on the sides of Ranmas head and closes his eyes. Ranma was amazed and a little afraid seeing the amount of power his friend was able to call on and with no strain. It took close to an hour to finish what needed to be done not that ether noticed one the to busy working, the other trying to figure out what was being done and how to replicate it.

After Boaraga lifted his Aura Ranma felt as if things were brighter and more clearer that they had ever been before every thing seem to look more alive, more vibrant as if he'd been wearing dark glasses most of his life.

"How do you feel" asked a concerned if curious Boaraga.

"Light headed" Ranma replied with as sleepy grin which caused Boaraga to roar a laugh.

"That's to be expected after the amount of magic I removed from you most of which messed with your head" he said after he finish laughing.

"Right now the last thing you need to do is drink these" pointing to the vials Ranma held.

"The first vial will undo all the pressure points that have been applied to you; the second one will undo all the physical damage done to you over the years; the third will give your body all energy an nutrients it needs to correct the damage and will work together with the second. The last will purify your Chi and make you relive the memories of your life so you will have a more clear view of your self so that we can discuss what you want to do and how I can help I will warn you that they will make you sleep for almost a week maybe a little more while every thing sorts it self out" Boaraga finish.

"Well at least I'm getting plenty of rest on this trip" Ranma replied before downing the all four vials. Before laying him self down on his bed roll to wait for the sleep to over take him again. The last thing he heard be for he fell asleep was Boaraga's voice. "Sleep well Ranma I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about when you wake" his tone soft as Ranma drifted in to deep sleep.

TBC.


End file.
